The local's guide to Forks, Washington.

Beaches at La Push — the easiest big payoff

Fifteen minutes from your cabin you get sea stacks, driftwood the size of trucks and the best sunset on the peninsula. Do this first; it sets the tone for the week.

1. 8:00 amCoffee and a breakfast sandwich at Bug & Buf's Espresso (220 N Forks Ave) or Outfitters Grind inside Forks Outfitters — both open at 5 am on weekdays.
2. 9:30 amDrive Hwy 110 west to Rialto Beach (about 20 minutes). Check the tide chart before you leave: Hole-in-the-Wall is a 1.5-mile walk north and is only safe at a tide below about 2 ft.
3. 12:30 pmLunch at Three Rivers Resort on La Push Rd, or pack a cooler — there is nothing on the beach itself.
4. 2:00 pmSecond Beach: a 0.7-mile forest trail drops you onto the widest stretch of sand and the most photographed sea stacks on the coast. The trailhead lot fills by mid-morning in summer.
5. SunsetStay for it. In June the sun drops around 9:10 pm, in October around 6:40 pm. Bring a headlamp for the walk back through the trees.

Locals' pick: skip First Beach for photos and use it for the drive-up view and the harbor. Second and Rialto are the two that people remember.

The Hoh Rainforest — go early or don't go

The Hoh is the reason most people come, and it is also the one place where timing decides whether you love it or sit in a line. From Forks it's about an hour each way.

1. 6:30 amLeave Forks. Hwy 101 south 12 miles, then 18 miles up Upper Hoh Road. In July and August the entrance line can back up past the bridge by 9 am and the lot closes when it's full.
2. 8:00 amHall of Mosses (0.8 mi loop) first, while the light is still low and the moss is glowing. Then Spruce Nature Trail (1.2 mi) down along the river.
3. 10:30 amWalk the first 2-3 miles of the Hoh River Trail. Almost nobody goes past mile one, and it is the quietest old-growth on the peninsula.
4. 1:00 pmHard Rain Café on Upper Hoh Road for a burger on the way out (seasonal), or back to Forks for Pacific Pizza.
5. AfternoonRecover at the cabin, or run out to Bogachiel State Park (6 minutes south) for an easy river walk.

There is no cell service past the Hoh turnoff. Download your maps in town. An Olympic National Park pass ($30/vehicle, 7 days) or America the Beautiful pass gets you in.

Waterfalls and Lake Crescent

Head northeast on 101 for the waterfall day: cold, clear water, short trails and the bluest lake in the state.

1. 8:30 amDrive 101 north. Stop at Beaver Falls near Sappho if the river is up — a quick roadside look most visitors drive right past.
2. 9:45 amSol Duc Falls: 1.6 miles round trip through old growth to a three-channel waterfall dropping into a canyon. One of the best effort-to-payoff hikes on the peninsula.
3. 12:00 pmSol Duc Hot Springs Resort pools (seasonal, reservations recommended) or push on to the lake.
4. 1:30 pmMarymere Falls from Storm King Ranger Station — 1.8 miles round trip, 90-foot fall. Add Mount Storm King only if you are comfortable with ropes and exposure.
5. 4:00 pmLake Crescent: swim off the Devil's Punchbowl at Spruce Railroad Trail, or a drink on the lawn at Lake Crescent Lodge.

Fill your tank in Forks before this loop. There is no reliable fuel between Forks and Port Angeles once the small stations close in the evening.

The south coast: Ruby Beach and Kalaloch

The prettiest hour of driving in Washington. Hwy 101 south leaves the trees and runs right along the bluff above the Pacific.

1. 9:00 amDrive south on 101. First stop, Ruby Beach (about 35 minutes) — sea stacks, driftwood pile and tide pools at low tide.
2. 11:00 amBeach 4 for tide pools (best two hours either side of low tide), then Beach 6 for the overlook.
3. 12:30 pmLunch at Creekside Restaurant at Kalaloch Lodge, then find the Tree of Life — the spruce suspended over a hollowed-out bluff at Kalaloch Campground.
4. 2:30 pmIf you have the daylight, keep going to Lake Quinault (another hour) for the rainforest loop drive and Merriman Falls.

Check a tide chart for Kalaloch before you commit to tide pools. At high tide, Beach 4 is just rocks and spray.

Rivers, Twilight and the far northwest corner

Your flexible day. Fish, chase the Twilight sites in town, or drive to the northwestern-most point of the lower 48.

1. Option AFish the Sol Duc, Bogachiel, Calawah or Hoh. Winter steelhead runs December through April, salmon in fall. Book a local guide — the rivers change every season.
2. Option BCape Flattery, about two hours north through Neah Bay: a 1.5-mile boardwalk to cliffs and sea caves at the corner of the continent. A Makah Recreation Pass is required and sold in town.
3. Option CIn-town day: Forever Twilight in Forks Collection at the Rainforest Arts Center, Forks Timber Museum, and John's Beachcombing Museum — genuinely one of the strangest and best small museums anywhere.
4. EveningCraft beer and a panini at Westend Taproom Tip & Sip (70 W A St, 21+), or wings at Blakeslee's Bar & Grill.

Rain day fallback in order: Hoh in the rain (it's better), John's Beachcombing Museum, Sunset Lanes bowling, then the taproom.